Shear assembly for tree harvesters

ABSTRACT

A tree harvester including a mechanism for gripping and axially moving the tree, a shear assembly and a delimbing assembly, the shear assembly having an outwardly facing anvil secured to a frame, a rigid jaw and a pivotal blade extending outwardly from the frame on opposite sides of the anvil to form an outwardly facing opening for receiving a standing tree and a jack for pivoting the blade toward the jaw and anvil to sever the tree, the blade having a vertical plate arcuately secured to the blade in spaced apart relation from its pivotal connection with the frame, one end of the vertical plate adjacent a cutting edge of the blade also forming a vertical cutting edge.

United States Patent 1191 Moser et a1.

1 1 May 8,1973

[54] SHEAR ASSEMBLY FOR TREE HARVESTERS [75] Inventors: Raymond L.Moser, Tremont; Ed-

ward J. Meyer, Morton, both of III.

[52] US. Cl ..l44/3 D, 144/34 E [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lg 23/08 [58] Field ofSearch ..l44/2 Z, 3 D, 34 R, 144/34 E, 309 AC, 246 R [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS Siiro ..144/3 D Larson et a1. .....144/34 E3,482,613 12/1969 Jordan ..144/34 1: 3,576,202 4/1 171 Spnnjur ..144/.1n

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,313,995 ll/l962 France ..144/34 1;

Primary ExaminerGerald A. Dost Att0rney-Fryer, Tjensvold, Feix, Phillips& Lempio [57] ABSTRACT A tree harvester including a mechanism forgripping and axially moving the tree, a shear assembly and a delimbingassembly, the shear assembly having an outwardly facing anvil secured toa frame, a rigid jaw and a pivotal blade extending outwardly from theframe on opposite sides of the anvil to form an outwardly facing openingfor receiving a standing tree and a jack for pivoting the blade towardthe jaw and anvil to sever the tree, the blade having a vertical platearcuately secured to the blade in spaced apart relation from its pivotalconnection with the frame, one end of the vertical plate adjacent acutting edge of the blade also forming a vertical cutting edge.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 8, 1973 2 Sheets$heet 1INVENTORS RAYMOND L. MOSER EDWARD J. MOYER ATTORNEYS Patented May 8,1973 3,731,720

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS RAYMO ND L.. MOSER EDWARD J. MO YER BY ?3;ATTOZNEYS SHEAR ASSEMBLY FOR TREE HARVESTERS Portions of the presenttree harvester, the specific construction of which is not a particularpart of the present invention, are described in greater detail inapplication Ser. No. 58,465, filed by Nathan Gutman et al. on July 27,1970 and application Ser. No. 58,467 filed by Raymond L. Moser et al. onJuly 27, 1970,. both of which are assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention.

The presentinvention relates to a shear assembly for mounting on a treeharvester to harvest or cut standing trees. The shear assembly may beemployed alone in such an arrangement or in combination with otherimplements for further processing the tree after it is cut. As describedbelow and shown in the accompanying drawings, the shear assembly ispreferably combined with a delimbing assembly and a mechanism forgripping the tree and moving it through the delimber.

Various shear mechanisms which may be employed for tree harvesting havebeen described in the prior art. Some of these mechanisms include twoswinging blades which are arranged onopposite, sides of a standing treeand then urged toward each other for cutting the tree. Other shearmechanisms, which may be considered more similar to the presentinvention, include a single swinging blade.

In all arrangements of this type, the blade or blades must be forced toslice through trees of relatively substantial size. Accordingly, a mostimportant function of such shear mechanisms is to rapidly and completelysever such standing trees. Other problems which such a shear assemblyshould desirably overcome include the ability to rapidly maneuver theshear assembly into place for example with respect to one of a group ofclosely spaced standing trees.

Further, it is generally desirable to sever the standing trees as closeto the ground as possible. This is often made difficult by roots,growths or portions of the tree which project outwardly from its trunk.Also, the shear assembly must be designed to engage one of a closelyspaced group of trees. Another desirable feature for such a shearassembly is the ability to rapidly replace the cutting edge of the bladedue to its high rate of erosion caused by the shearing mode in which theblade operates.

Still another problem which should be desirably overcome is more clearlyapparent when the shear assembly is employed together with otherprocessing implements such as a delimbing assembly and a mechanism forgripping and axially moving the tree through the delimber for example.Within such an ar rangement, it is usually desired to maintain the treein place on the tree harvesting apparatus after it is cut by the shearassembly. This is sometimes difficult since the shearing action of theblade may tend to shift the tree while it is being cut.

Finally, due to the considerable stresses developed during shearing ofthe tree by the blade, the tree may tend to be shifted away from theshear assembly by its engagement with the blade before it is completelycut. This problem is most apparent when the blade or blades angleoutwardly relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle while passingthrough the tree. With such an arrangement, the tree tends to shiftforwardly away from the blade or the shear assembly and the vehicle uponwhich it is mounted may move out of proper engagement with the tree.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shearassembly which minimizes or eliminates one or more of the above problemareas.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a shearassembly having a single swinging blade which may come into generallyparallel and abutting relation with an anvil surface to assure completesevering of the tree.

It is a further object to provide such a shear assembly having a jawwhich together with the anvil and swinging blade form an outwardlyfacing opening for receiving the tree with. the blade tending to movedirectly toward the jaw and/or the anvil during its entire shearingengagement with the tree. a

It is also an object to provide a shear assembly wherein the blade alsoincludes a small vertically arranged cutting edge for severing roots andother outwardly projecting portions of a standing tree for completelycutting through the tree particularly in close relation to the ground.

It isstill another object to provide the shear assembly with a smallvertical plate being arranged on the blade in spaced apart relation fromits pivotal mounting to assist in retaining the tree in place within theshear assembly after it is cut.

Another object of the invention is to support the shear assembly upon aframe which may be pivoted along a horizontal axis to a vehicle forenabling the shear to out standing trees aswell as to cut a felled treeinto appropriate lengths or sections during further processing.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are made apparentin the following description having reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a tree harvesting apparatus formounting on a vehicle, the apparatus including a shear assemblyconstructed according to the present invention together with a delimbingassembly and a mechanism for gripping and axially shifting trees throughthe delimber;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shear assembly with the shield or upperportion of the frame being removed tomore clearly illustrateconstruction of the shear assembly;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along section line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 with the blade beingmoved into parallel and abutting engagement with an anvil surface; and

FIG. 5 is a view taken along section line VV of FIG. 4.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of a treeharvester apparatus constructed according to the present invention isindicated at 11 including a delimbing assembly 12, a drive mechanismindicated at 13 for gripping trees to be processed and axially shiftingthem through the harvester and a shear assembly indicated at 14. Themechanism for gripping and shifting trees and the delimbing assembly aredescribed in greater detail by the two references noted above.

For purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient to note that thedelimbing assembly 12 preferably has a pair of flexible blades 16 and 17which are sharpened along one edge and may be brought into cuttingengagement about the circumference of a tree for moving limbs from thetree as it is shifted axially therethrough.

With regard to the drive mechanism 13, it includes a pair of grippingarms or grapples 18 which may be moved in opposition to each other bymeans of hydraulic motors 19 in order to firmly secure a tree against -adrive means 21 in the form of an endless track or chain assemblyarranged for rotation upon the harvester apparatus by means of rollersand sprockets, one of which is partially shown at 22.

Also in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the delimbingassembly 12, the drive mechanism 13 and the shear assembly 14 are allsupported upon a common frame structure 23 which may be mounted upon avehicle such as that partially shown in phantom at 24. The vehicle is ofthe type having conventional lift arms, one of which is indicated at 26with the frame 23 being secured to the lift arms 26 by means ofhorizontally arranged pivots such as that indicated at 27. Aconventional tilt linkage 28 on the vehicle is also pivoted to the frame23 at a location 29 above the pivot axis 27 with the tilt linkage beingeffective to pivot the frame 23 and the various portions of the treeharvester about the horizontal pivot 27.

In operation, the tree harvester apparatus is positioned by the vehicleto receive a standing tree within the shear assembly, the grapples andthe delimbing assembly. The grapples 18 are moved by the motors 19 tosecure the tree against the drive track 21 and the flexible blades ofthe delimbing assembly are also brought into engagement about thecircumference of the tree.

The tree is severed by the shear assembly after which the top of thetree harvester is rotated forwardly and downwardly by the tilt linkage28 so that the tree is generally in a horizontal position. The tree isthen shifted axially through the delimbing assembly and toward the shearassembly by the drive track 21 with limbs being removed from the tree bythe delimbing assembly. During this mode of operation, the shearassembly may be intermittently operated to also cut the delimbed treeinto appropriate lengths or sections.

Construction features of the shear assembly 14 are also illustrated inFIGS. 2-5. Major components of the shear assembly include a rigidfabricated frame 31 which is secured to the erect frame 23 shown in FIG.1, a blade 32 pivoted to the frame at 33, a hydraulic jack 34 pivoted tothe frame at 36 and to the blade at 37, an anvil surface 38 and a jaw39.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the anvil surface 38 is arranged upon the frame31 to face outwardly or forwardly relative to a longitudinal axisthrough the vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1. The jaw 39 extends outwardlyor forwardly from the frame generally at one end of the anvil surface.Preferably, the jaw is secured to a transverse end of the frame 31 tofacilitate positioning of the tree harvester (also see FIG. I) inengagement with one of two or more closely spaced trees. The pivotconnection 33 between the blade and frame 31 is arranged at the otherend of the anvil surface so that the blade may be placed in an openposition by the jack. 34, as shown in FIG. 2, to form an outwardly orforwardly facing opening together with the anvil surface 38 and the jaw39 for receiving a tree. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the

blade may be swung byextension of the jack 34 into parallel and abuttingrelation with the anvil surface 38 ,o enin for receivin a tree, itscuttin ed e 41 is P g g 8 8 generally parallel with an inside surface 42of' the jaw 39. Thus, as the blade is swung toward the positionillustrated in FIG. 4, it tends to move directly toward the surface 42of the jaw and/or the anvil surface 38 so that closing action of theblade does not tend to move the tree out of the opening formed betweenthe blade, the jaw and the anvil surface.

Still referring particularly to FIG. 2, the blade is formed with thepivot points 33 and 37 and the outer end of its cutting edge 41 beinggenerally arranged in triangular form. A fabricated flange 43 is securedto the blade to facilitate and provide rigidity within the pivotconnections 33 and 37 for the blade. A small vertical plate 44 is alsoarcuately secured to an outer portion of the blade in spaced apartrelation from its pivot point 33 to provide a rail in combination with aportion of the flange 43 for preventing a tree from slipping off theblade after the tree is cut by movement of the blade into its positionillustrated in FIG. 4. The vertical plate 44 also provides a smallvertically arranged cutting edge 46 generally adjacent the cutting edge41 for the blade. The vertical cutting edge 46 serves to sever outwardlyprojecting portions of a standing tree, particularly roots when the treeis to be cut close to the ground.

The cutting edge 41 of the blade is formed by a replaceable element 47which may be integrally secured to the blade, for example, by welding.Because of the high rate of wear experienced by the cutting edge of theblade, this construction permits replacement of the cutting edge whileavoiding the necessity to replace the entire blade.

As may be best seen in FIG. 2, the frame 31 includes a lower platemember 48 which is arranged beneath the jack 34 and the blade in itsretracted or open position to protect those elements from damage. Thelower plate 48 of the frame is also formed with an arcuate edge 49adjacent the anvil surface 38 to assist in properly positioning treeswithin the opening formed by the blade, the anvil surface and the jaw39. A bearing member 50 arranged upon the frame 31 for supporting theblade during a substantial portion of its travel between the openedposition illustrated in FIG. 2 and the closed or cutting positionillustrated in FIG. 4. The frame 31 also includes an upper plate 51which is at least partially illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 while beingremoved in FIG. 2 to better illustrate construction of the shearassembly. Various vertical cross pieces 52 are secured between theplates 48 and 51 to further protect various components of the shearassembly and more importantly to provide rigidity, particularly for theanvil surface 38. i

As may be best seen in FIG. 5, the jaw 39 is also formed from two spacedapart plates 53 and 54 which are integrally secured to the frame 31, forexample, by welding.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a shield 56 is secured to the upperplate 51 and extends upwardly and rearwardly above the shear assembly toprotect various components of the harvester apparatus as well 7 as toguide brush or other loose material away from the harvester apparatusparticularly during forward movement of the vehicle.

What is claimed is:

l. A tree harvester apparatus for mounting on a vehicle by means of ahorizontal pivot connection, comprising aframe,

an assembly including means for gripping the tree and means for shiftingit axially, delimbing assembly for removing limbs from the tree as it isaxially shifted, and shear assembly including a jaw extending outwardlyfrom the frame, a blade being pivoted to the frame in spaced apartrelation with the jaw, and having a cutting edge, an anvil secured tothe frame and forming the rear surface of an outwardly facing openingtogether with the jaw and the blade when the blade is pivoted to haveits cutting edge extending outwardly from the frame, a motor meanspivotally interconnected between the frame and blade to pivot thecutting edge of the blade into parallel and abutting relation with theanvil, the blade having a vertical plate arranged arcuately on an outerportion of the blade relative to its pivotal connection with the frame,one end of the vertical plate adjacent the cutting edge of the bladeforming a smaller vertical cutting edge.

2. The tree harvester of claim 1 wherein the motor means is a jackpivotally connected with the frame and the blade in spaced apartrelation from its pivotal connection with the frame, the cutting edgebeing formed by a replaceable portion of the blade.

3. A tree harvester assembly for mounting on a vehicle and including ashear assembly comprising:

a frame for attachment to the vehicle in generally transverse relationto a longitudinal axis of the vehicle,

a fixed jaw including an inside planar surface extending outwardly andforwardly from the frame, blade with a cutting edge pivoted to the framein spaced apart relation from the jaw for swinging motion between anopen position with said blade extending forwardly from the frame to forman outwardly and forwardly facing opening between the jaw and cuttingblade for receiving a tree and a closed portion with the blade pivotedtoward the jaw to span the forwardly facing opening, a motor meansconnected between the frame and the blade for controlling its swingingmotion, and

a rigid anvil secured to the frame for forming a rear surface of theforwardly opening, the pivot point of the blade being positionedadjacent one end of the anvil and the anvil being arranged transverselyso that the blade initially moves toward the jaw and then toward theanvil during cutting engagement with the tree to maintain the treewithin the forwardly facing opening while it is being cut, the cuttingmember being swingable into abutting relation with the anvil to assurecomplete severing of the tree.

4. The tree harvester of claim 3 wherein the blade has a generallyarcuate surface opposite its pivotal connection with the frame, a smallvertical late being secured to the blade along its arcuate su ace toenclose a portion of the tree when the blade abuts the anvil and assistin maintaining the severed tree within the opening, the vertical platehaving a vertical cutting edge at one end adjacent the cutting edge ofthe blade.

5. The tree harvester of claim 4 wherein the cutting edge is formed by areplaceable portion of the blade and the motor means is a hydraulic jackpivotally interconnected between the frame and the blade in spaced apartrelation from its pivotal connection with the frame.

6. The tree harvester of claim 3 wherein the cutting edge is formed by areplaceable portion of the blade and the motor means is a jack pivotallyinterconnected between the frame and the blade in spaced apart relationfrom its pivotal connection with the frame, the jaw being mounted at oneend of the frame.

7. The tree harvester of claim 3 wherein the frame includes a horizontalpivot means for connection with the vehicle to permit pivoting of theblade and jaw between a generally horizontal plane and a generallyvertical plane.

8. The tree harvester of claim 7 wherein the frame extendsperpendicularly from the jaw and blade for supporting means to grip andaxially move the tree and a delimbing assembly, the gripping means beingarranged to secure the tree against the means for axially moving thetree while the tree is in position within the forwardly extendingopening of the blade assembly for severing, the delimbing assemblyincluding means for presenting cutting means about the circumference ofthe tree for removing limbs while the tree is being axially moved.

9. The tree harvester of claim 8 wherein the motor means is a jackpivotally interconnected between the frame and the blade in spaced apartrelation from its pivotal connection with the frame.

i I I! t i

1. A tree harvester apparatus for mounting on a vehicle by means of ahorizontal pivot connection, comprising a frame, an assembly includingmeans for gripping the tree and means for shifting it axially, adelimbing assembly for removing limbs from the tree as it is axiallyshifted, and a shear assembly including a jaw extending outwardly fromthe frame, a blade being pivoted to the frame in spaced apart relationwith the jaw, and having a cutting edge, an anvil secured to the frameand forming the rear surface of an outwardly facing opening togetherwith the jaw and the blade when the blade is pivoted to have its cuttingedge extending outwardly from the frame, a motor means pivotallyinterconnected between the frame and blade to pivot the cutting edge ofthe blade into parallel and abutting relation with the anvil, the bladehaving a vertical plate arranged arcuately on an outer portion of theblade relative to its pivotal connection with the frame, one end of thevertical plate adjacent the cuttinG edge of the blade forming a smallervertical cutting edge.
 2. The tree harvester of claim 1 wherein themotor means is a jack pivotally connected with the frame and the bladein spaced apart relation from its pivotal connection with the frame, thecutting edge being formed by a replaceable portion of the blade.
 3. Atree harvester assembly for mounting on a vehicle and including a shearassembly comprising: a frame for attachment to the vehicle in generallytransverse relation to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a fixed jawincluding an inside planar surface extending outwardly and forwardlyfrom the frame, a blade with a cutting edge pivoted to the frame inspaced apart relation from the jaw for swinging motion between an openposition with said blade extending forwardly from the frame to form anoutwardly and forwardly facing opening between the jaw and cutting bladefor receiving a tree and a closed portion with the blade pivoted towardthe jaw to span the forwardly facing opening, a motor means connectedbetween the frame and the blade for controlling its swinging motion, anda rigid anvil secured to the frame for forming a rear surface of theforwardly opening, the pivot point of the blade being positionedadjacent one end of the anvil and the anvil being arranged transverselyso that the blade initially moves toward the jaw and then toward theanvil during cutting engagement with the tree to maintain the treewithin the forwardly facing opening while it is being cut, the cuttingmember being swingable into abutting relation with the anvil to assurecomplete severing of the tree.
 4. The tree harvester of claim 3 whereinthe blade has a generally arcuate surface opposite its pivotalconnection with the frame, a small vertical plate being secured to theblade along its arcuate surface to enclose a portion of the tree whenthe blade abuts the anvil and assist in maintaining the severed treewithin the opening, the vertical plate having a vertical cutting edge atone end adjacent the cutting edge of the blade.
 5. The tree harvester ofclaim 4 wherein the cutting edge is formed by a replaceable portion ofthe blade and the motor means is a hydraulic jack pivotallyinterconnected between the frame and the blade in spaced apart relationfrom its pivotal connection with the frame.
 6. The tree harvester ofclaim 3 wherein the cutting edge is formed by a replaceable portion ofthe blade and the motor means is a jack pivotally interconnected betweenthe frame and the blade in spaced apart relation from its pivotalconnection with the frame, the jaw being mounted at one end of theframe.
 7. The tree harvester of claim 3 wherein the frame includes ahorizontal pivot means for connection with the vehicle to permitpivoting of the blade and jaw between a generally horizontal plane and agenerally vertical plane.
 8. The tree harvester of claim 7 wherein theframe extends perpendicularly from the jaw and blade for supportingmeans to grip and axially move the tree and a delimbing assembly, thegripping means being arranged to secure the tree against the means foraxially moving the tree while the tree is in position within theforwardly extending opening of the blade assembly for severing, thedelimbing assembly including means for presenting cutting means aboutthe circumference of the tree for removing limbs while the tree is beingaxially moved.
 9. The tree harvester of claim 8 wherein the motor meansis a jack pivotally interconnected between the frame and the blade inspaced apart relation from its pivotal connection with the frame.